Thailand PM Anutin seeks explanation from deputy finance minister over scam link allegation
The country faces a growing challenge in curbing the illegal, industrial-scale scam operations
[BANGKOK] Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he’s asked Deputy Finance Minister Vorapak Tanyawong for a written response to allegations that he’s linked to South-east Asian scam networks.
Anutin also said Vorapak had not been named to lead the country’s anti-scam committee, as Thailand and other nations widen efforts to stop online scams spreading across the region.
“There’s no such appointment,” Anutin told reporters on Tuesday (Oct 21), responding to a question on whether Vorapak had any role in the anti-scam committee. “His name isn’t on the list – never was, never will be. I’m the chairman. Financial matters fall under (Finance Minister) Ekniti and investigations are led by the Justice Ministry.”
Vorapak’s name was linked to the anti-scam committee after Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas told reporters earlier this month that Vorapak would lead a task force to follow the money trail left by scam centres across South-east Asia.
Vorapak has also denied allegations published in Project Brazen’s Whale Hunting newsletter, that said his wife was paid US$3 million in cryptocurrency, citing corporate filings in Singapore.
Thailand faces a growing challenge in curbing the illegal, industrial-scale scam operations being run out of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Many are located near those nations’ Thai and Chinese borders.
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Criminal gangs have been forcing trafficked victims to lure people on social media and dating applications.
This month alone, dozens of South Koreans allegedly working for scammers were repatriated from Cambodia. In Myanmar, the country’s junta raided a multiple-building compound, detaining more than 2,000 workers and seizing Starlink receivers and accessories.
The Bangkok Post on Sunday reported the Thai government had denied allegations that South Korea had identified seven Thai politicians as connected to scam centres in Cambodia.
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The United Nations earlier this year said cybercrime syndicates are still expanding, due to illicit online marketplaces using cryptocurrencies. It also noted the shift from land-based Internet connections to the use of Starlink.
The Finance Ministry’s task force is “designed to find links between gray money flows and online scams, using financial network and identity data,” according to Ekniti, who said the goal is to complete all necessary coordination and groundwork by December.
The so-called Connect the Dots group would be collaborating with the anti-scam committee and key agencies including the Bank of Thailand, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Ekniti said.
Anutin was also asked Tuesday if his weeks-old government could be undermined if multiple Cabinet members were linked to scam networks. “If anyone is found guilty, the law will take care of them,” he said. BLOOMBERG
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